Wellington, Aug 18 NZPA - Former Labour finance minister David Caygill is joining Don Brash on the Government's 2025 Taskforce set up to find ways to increase productivity and close the wage gap with Australia.

Dr Brash, the former Reserve Bank governor and former leader of the National Party, was last month appointed chairman of the taskforce.

That caused an outcry from Labour and trade unions who said he was a disciple of hard-right economics who would try to drag New Zealand back to the policies of the 1990s.

ACT leader Rodney Hide, who initiated the taskforce as part of his party's support agreement with the Government, today named its four members.

They are Mr Caygill, current chairman of the Electricity Commission, and:

* Jeremy Moon, founder and chief executive of Icebreaker;

* Judith Sloan, a part-time commissioner at the Australian Productivity Commission and a member of the Australian Fair Pay Commission; and

* Bryce Wilkinson, director of Capital Economics who has experience in public policy analysis as the Treasury.

The taskforce will present its first report in November, identifying policy settings and changes to deliver productivity growth.

Further reports will be provided in 2010 and 2011.

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